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The Cars Honda Should Bring Back: NSX, S2000 and More

Our man jgoods recently made some valid arguments that Honda may be losing its way. The company’s vehicles keep getting bigger, while its hybrid attempts fail to make a dent in Toyota’s dominance. That’s a recipe for disaster. The Hybrid war is a battle Honda can’t afford to keep losing.

If Honda would just stuck to its roots, though, it wouldn’t need to rely on hybrids so heavily.

So many of the Honda vehicles that we’ve known and loved, the vehicles that made Honda the company it is today, are gone.

The S2000 was consistently at the top of lists of affordable sports cars. As the economy sank in 2008 and early 2009, though, Honda pulled the plug on development for the 2010 version of the S2000, which is a complete shame. Now the economy is rebounding, and the market could be ripe for an all-new RWD sports convertible from Honda.

In December 2007, American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura confirmed a new NSX powered by a V10 engine would be introduced to the market by 2010. There was much rejoicing. Then in 2008 it was announced that, due to poor economic conditions, all plans for a next-generation NSX had been canceled. I say if Lexus can build and sell out the LFA, Honda can certainly build and sell the NSX.

The Integra was Acura’s first model, and would make a wonderful Honda today. The Integra was the first car after the NSX to receive Honda’s VTEC variable valve timing system. That system helped the car squeeze every drop of power out of its 4-cylinder engine while maintaining admirable fuel efficiency. That’s exactly what the market demands today!

The first Honda Insight weighed just 1,847 pounds. Imagine bringing back that car, but scrapping the hybrid powertrain and using something similar to the Civic‘s Type-R K20A engine. You’d end up with a light, fast, fuel-efficient machine! But wait… someone already did it! Now Honda just needs to follow suit.

The current CR-V is a fine little crossover, don’t get me wrong, but the original was even better. Drivers sat high and had a commanding view of the road. Light, fuel-efficient, and capable. Exactly what a Honda should be!

The new CR-Z just isn’t going to cut the mustard here. The second-generation CRX with its 1.6-liter engine was fun to drive and got as high as 50 miles per gallon on the highway. The CR-Z uses a 1.5-liter engine, is a hybrid, and is rated at 37 mpg on the highway. Guess which I would buy today?

I think the NSX was one of the most underrated cars of all time. It was really a fantastic vehicle. I can’t say the same for the S2000. It has a peaky torque curve and rear drive that takes a very light touch or it likes to spin out, usually without warning, as Porsches like to do. I can’t say that’s a good attribute in a 2-seater with a fraction of Porsche’s horsepower.